Nebraska recruiting reset: Biggest needs, class size, in-state strategy under Matt Rhule

New York Times

3 days ago

LINCOLN, Neb. — As a debate simmers on whether Nebraska football swung and missed in the June recruiting race or if the Huskers hit a home run, coach Matt Rhule can relax and survey the solid results of a long spring and early period of summer during the next 20 days — in theory, the least hectic time on the college football calendar.
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Nebraska added a commitment to its Class of 2026 on Tuesday from three-star wide receiver Larry Miles of Winter Garden, Fla., to go with pledges gathered Monday from offensive linemen Leon Noil of New Orleans and Claude Mpouma of Chicago.
A physically imposing four-star prospect, Mpouma rates as an especially gratifying score for Rhule. High-ceiling tackles are hard to come by out of high school and from the portal. Nebraska missed on more than it landed in recent cycles.
Mpouma visited Auburn and Florida last month and considered Ohio State and Michigan among his finalists. Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Iowa wanted him. His talent and size appear so promising that FBS offers began to arrive last year before he'd played a down of football or attended a camp.
He provides a cornerstone in this class for Nebraska. His commitment also solidifies the Huskers' presence in Chicago, where they've got 2027 QB commit Trae Taylor trending fast to become the top peer recruiter ever for the program on social media.
The 2026 class stands at 12 members. Compared to USC, which has 20 four- and five-star commits in its 30-player class, that's a pedestrian output.
But the measure of recruiting success demands perspective. It rarely boils down to who said no. Or who said yes. Rather, how did they fit and develop? Did they stay for more than a handshake? With the transfer portal in play, team rankings in recruiting mean less than ever.
The same will be true if Nebraska wins 11 games next season and carries that momentum forward to build a top-10 class in the 2027 cycle.
Twelve to 15 commits in the bag when Nebraska opens camp in four weeks would put it on track. Rhule planned to favor efficiency ahead of depth in this recruiting cycle. The new roster limit, in effect this season after the adoption Tuesday of a revenue-sharing model in college athletics, likely dictates a class of fewer than 20 players.
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And the best play for Rhule this year involves a gamble. He's banking that the Huskers make a jump, starting Aug. 28 at Arrowhead Stadium. He's expecting that recruits will notice and that new doors will open. And that the final batch of spots in the 2026 class go to players who perhaps aren't looking today at a program that's lost 58 percent of its games over the past 10 seasons.
Rhule came off sounding defiant in a message posted less than two hours after the Mpouma decision went public.
Too many people have profited financially off of negativity and despair. Their time is over
— Matt Rhule (@CoachMattRhule) June 30, 2025
Is that a prediction? Or was the third-year coach philosophizing on a summer evening during a dead period that's supposed to offer him and his staff a chance to escape from the grind for a few weeks?
Extended downtime, I suspect, is a fleeting dream for Rhule.
He's got plenty on his plate. Front and center sits a growing group of recruits and the need to execute a balancing act to manage the roster as the program readies for the start of camp.
Here are the answers to three questions about more of what's happening with the Class of 2026:
What's unique about the construction of this class?
Terms of the House settlement have eased the transition to a 105-player roster. A hard-count 105 is coming, though, and Nebraska must recruit with the altered math in mind.
Its roster today numbers 126. By Sunday, 30 days after the settlement was approved in federal court, any team that plans to carry more than 105 into the 2025 season must designate the players who would have been cut if a hard-count 105 had been implemented.
For the remainder of their careers, regardless of the programs at which they play, those players will be protected. They won't count against the 105. But when their careers at Nebraska end, the Huskers cannot exceed 105.
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The roster is composed of 92 freshmen and sophomores and 34 juniors and seniors. As many as 21 could be placed on the designated list. To avoid a logjam as the list grows smaller in 2026 and 2027, Rhule and his staff simply can't sign a big class this year.
At what spots are the Huskers in need of reinforcements?
The 2026 class includes four offensive linemen, three wide receivers and one player each at quarterback, running back, tight end, defensive back and linebacker. That's two defensive players out of 12 commits.
Here's a breakdown of the roster: QB (6), running back (8), receiver (15), tight end (7), offensive line (21), defensive line (18), linebacker (18), defensive back (26) and specialist (7).
Linebacker and O-line have the highest concentration of upperclassmen on the roster. Four-star linebacker Calvin Thomas of Houston is set to announce his decision on July 12.
🫣 pic.twitter.com/yCnbh12CEX
— Calvin ''CT3'' Thomas (@Calvin_Thomas08) June 28, 2025
Expect the Huskers to prioritize the pursuit of defensive linemen, although they've got nine freshmen at the position group on the roster.
How has the recruiting strategy changed during Rhule's time in Lincoln?
Aside from the need to place monetary values on each recruit and think more strategically than ever on class size, there's this nugget: Rhule signed eight Nebraskans out of high school in 2023, eight in 2024 and six in 2025.
From the first two classes, five of 16 have departed via transfer; five of 16 are projected as two-deep players when camp begins this month.
The takeaway: Nebraska can be more selective with local talent.
In the Class of 2026, it has one commitment from a Nebraskan — linebacker Jase Reynolds of Elkhorn North. Fifteen are committed elsewhere, including nine players from reigning Class A champion Millard South. Alabama QB commit Jett Thomalla headlines the group.
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Nebraska offered just one of the players who has chosen to leave the state, Millard South tight end and Missouri commit Isaac Jensen.
There's one left on the table: Omaha North defensive back Darion Jones, brother of Nebraska cornerback Donovan Jones. The younger Jones is set to announce a college decision Friday, likely between Iowa and Nebraska.